Hearts Entwined
by Cindy Ryan
Summary: Face and Colleen run into trouble while on vacation. Sequel to Shattered
1. Default Chapter

Title: Hearts Entwined  
  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
  
Catagory: angst, romance  
  
Timeline: fifth season  
  
feedback: keeps me writing  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them have nothing to sue for. The character of Colleen Brown belongs to me.  
  
Summary: Face and Colleen go on a much deserved vacation but as always trouble soon follows.  
  
Notes: This is a sequel to my previous story Shattered which can be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=835126  
  
For story purposes I made Murdock's first name to be Henry since it was never mentioned on the series. 


	2. chapter one

"That's it." Colleen Brown exclaimed as she and Face dove for cover as another hail of bullets rained down on the small town's street. "We're going on vacation. I don't care what world crisis Stockwell has."  
  
Peck grinned as he pulled them into a small abandoned store. "Sounds great to me. Though if Murdock doesn't get that plane and fly us out of here in the next ten minutes our only vacation will be in a jail cell."  
  
Colleen ducked as a window near her shattered from a round of gunfire. "Could be cozy and romantic."  
  
"That's one way to look at it." Templeton replied with a smile as he risked a glance out the window. "Claustrophobic is another."  
  
"Explain to me again why Stockwell split us up on this mission?"Colleen asked as she knelt next to Face.  
  
"He's a spook, Colleen....never try to understand them." Face replied with a grin as he took her hand and gingerly led her out the back door.   
  
"All I know is that we got Mission B to protect the wonderful town of Sleeping Valley from a renegade cult. And Hannibal and the others got cushy guard duty of some governor's brat in Albany."  
  
Brown grabbed Peck's arm causing him to pause in the dirt alley. When he looked at her quizzically she motioned toward the sky.  
  
"Henry always comes through." Colleen replied with a grin just as the faint sounds of a helicopter drifted through the alley.  
  
Peck sighed. "He was supposed to get a plane."  
  
"You know his first love is 'copters." Colleen replied as she led them toward the mouth of the alley. They arrived just in time to see Murdock land the black helicopter smack in the middle of Main Street. Right in front of the general store.  
  
The renegade cult members instantly dropped their weapons and scattered like pinballs.  
  
Face picked up a discarded weapon and corralled a few of the cultists as Murdock stepped out of the helicopter.  
  
"Took you long enough." Peck muttered darkly as Colleen came to stand next to them. "Another minute and we would've been swiss cheese."  
  
"It wasn't that bad." Colleen admonished Face with a loving smile.  
  
Peck glanced at her incredulously. "Not that bad? Did you forget that they nearly hung you because you were wearing blue?"  
  
Colleen's hand instantly went to her neck where a few bruises were beginning to show. "No, I haven't."  
  
"Hate to interrupt this Kodak moment." Murdock interjected grimly. "But I got a hold of Hannibal on the radio. He needs us to regroup in Langley."  
  
Peck nodded as he started ushering his group of cultists to the jail. "What happened in Albany?"  
  
Murdock grinned. "Turned out the girl wasn't kidnapped.....just staying over at a friend's house that the parents didn't want her too."  
  
"Oh I bet Hannibal loved that." Colleen replied with an amused shake of her head.  
  
"Love is not the emotion I detected in the Colonel's voice." Murdock commented with a smile.  
  
"If you two can stop chatting long enough to help we'll get out of here quicker." Peck stated as he tossed Murdock a gun.  
  
*******  
  
Once back in Langley talk of their vacation was dropped. For no fault of either of them.....Colleen instantly got another PI case and the team was hired to investigate a missing banker.  
  
Colleen had just stepped out of the darkroom in her office when Face stepped through the door carrying a tightly closed brown paper bag.  
  
"What's that?" Colleen asked with a smile as she crossed the space between them.  
  
"Dinner." Peck replied as he set the bag down on a nearby chair and drew her into a hug. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too." Colleen stated as she kissed him briefly. "I can't believe it's been nearly a week since we last saw each other."  
  
Face nodded ruefully. "Stockwell maybe a lot of things but he runs a tight ship." He reached over and tenderly brushed a stray brown hair away from her face. "A little too tight. We had to sit on Evanston for nearly four days straight before we finally got a lead on the missing banker."  
  
Colleen's face lit up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you found the banker?"  
  
"Yeah." Peck replied with a grin as he led them to the two leather chairs that were positioned in front of her desk. "Mr. Princeton's safe and sound back in his home in D.C. I think he was anxious to get away from us....especially B.A."  
  
Colleen laughed as she stood and retrieved the bag of food. "B.A.'s a pussycat."  
  
Face grinned as he leaned forward. "Around you, maybe. You haven't had the pleasure yet of trying to get him on a plane."  
  
"What did you get us, anyway?" Colleen asked as she started to open the bag.  
  
"Chinese." Face replied as he stood taking the bag from her and placing it on the desk. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced two thin envelopes. "And two plane tickets."  
  
Colleen eagerly took the envelopes from Peck. "I don't believe it. How'd you get Stockwell to agree to a vacation?"  
  
Face placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's just say it was a heated discussion that came to an amicable agreement."  
  
Colleen grinned as she met his gaze. "Translation....you brought it up, he shouted, and Henry intervened on our behalf."  
  
"Pretty much." Face replied as he snatched the envelopes away from her before she could open them. "Let's eat before this gets cold."  
  
Colleen ignored the food as she reached again for the tickets."What....I don't get to know where we're going?"  
  
Peck grinned as he handed her a carton of fried rice. "Its a surprise.....I'll let you know once we're in the air."  
  
Colleen frowned slightly. "How am I going to know what to pack?"  
  
"I'll have that covered." Face replied with a smile as he reached over and gently caressed her left cheek. "This is our vacation, remember? Vacations are supposed to be relaxing."  
  
"So when do we leave?" Colleen asked as she sat down on the corner of her desk.  
  
"Friday morning." Templeton replied with a smile.  
  
"That leaves me two days to wrap this case up." Colleen commented as she reached forward and gently grabbed him by the bottom of his tie and pulled him toward her.  
  
"Less if I help." Face replied huskily their faces now just inches apart.  
  
"Which means we could start our vacation early." Colleen surmised feeling her breath catch as she looked into his bright blue gaze.  
  
"You got anything left to do here today?" Peck asked quietly as he stood pulling her up with him.  
  
"No." Colleen replied without even looking back at her desk. Whatever there was it could easily wait until tomorrow.....if not she didn't really care right now.  
  
"Your place or mine?" Face asked as he started to back toward the door grabbing her coat and purse in the process.  
  
"Yours." Colleen whispered.   
  
"Mine it is then." Templeton replied softly as he paused in the doorway and kissed her passionately.   
  
*********  
  
Hours later Face held Colleen tightly as he watched her sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a serious relationship that had lasted this long.....they'd been dating for almost eight months. She'd stuck with him and the team through the chaos of the court martial. Most women would've cut and run a long time ago.  
  
Peck reached over and tenderly bushed a stray brown hair away from her face. Not Colleen though....she'd stayed and more importantly fought for them and with them. Even after the incident with Terli where he'd nearly gotten her killed.  
  
Face winced at the memory of those awful days following the yacht explosion when they thought she was dead. It had devastated him and caused quite a rift in his friendship with Murdock. They had repaired it to a point but Murdock never brought the subject up again. And Face knew the pilot wasn't thrilled with the prospect of his relationship with Colleen.  
  
Colleen stirred in her sleep causing her body to push tighter against him. Face adjusted his embrace and smiled as she nestled her head in the crook of his arm. With Colleen almost being a sister to Murdock Face knew Murdock had a right to worry about Colleen's happiness....  
  
Peck shook his head slightly, as he lay back against the pillow careful not to disturb Colleen. Murdock would come around once the pilot saw how happy Colleen was and had been since they started dating. Face had gotten a bitter taste of what his life would be like without Colleen and he never wanted to feel that empty again.  
  
No matter what it took he'd make this relationship a lasting one.  
  
*********  
  
When Colleen awoke the next morning she reached for Face only to find that side of the bed empty. The brown haired woman opened her eyes and scooted into a sitting position. She was about to call out for Templeton when she heard him moving about the kitchen.  
  
Leaning back against the pillow Colleen spied their plane tickets on the far nightstand. Colleen glanced once toward the closed bedroom door before reaching across the bed and snatching the thin envelopes.  
  
Colleen knew she shouldn't peek but she was dying of curiosity. As she pulled the tickets out Colleen quickly realized that they weren't normal airline tickets. Oh they were printed up to look like them but there were subtle differences. The Airline Company was missing along with the destination and time of departure.  
  
"Now why would he go to all this trouble?" Colleen wondered out loud as she leaned back against the pillow.  
  
"Because I knew you'd peek." Face replied with a wide grin as he stood in the doorway carrying a wooden tray.  
  
Colleen laughed as she set the tickets aside. "Guess you do know me too well, Mr. Peck."  
  
Face walked toward her and placed the tray on her lap as he leaned in to kiss her. "Good Morning." Peck replied as they broke apart.  
  
"Good Morning." Colleen commented warmly. "How long have you been up?"  
  
"An hour or so." Face replied as he crawled into bed beside her.  
  
Colleen carefully turned to face Peck, a wide smile on her face. "So what can I do to get a hint out of you?"  
  
Templeton tenderly stroked her left cheek. "You can do anything to me that your heart desires, but you won't find out our travel plans."  
  
********  
  
"Any idea where Face and Colleen are going on their vacation?" Frankie Santana asked as he played ping pong with Murdock.  
  
"Knowing Faceman they probably won't leave the hotel room." B.A. replied with a grin as he flipped through the tv channels.  
  
"What they do is none of our business." Murdock stated trying his best to keep his voice neutral as he whacked the ping-pong ball sending it sailing high over Frankie's head.  
  
Santana watched the ball ricochet around the room with dismay before turning to glare at his friend. "Murdock, didn't we have a talk about keeping the ball in the zone?"  
  
Silently Murdock retrieved the wayward ball from behind the sofa and returned to the game table. The pilot gently hit the ball back to Frankie and the game was once again on.  
  
Frankie sighed inwardly everyone had noticed that Murdock had been quieter than normal lately. The running theory among the team was Murdock's mood was due to Colleen and Face's deepening relationship. Frankie wasn't so sure about that. He knew something bad had went down between Murdock and Face concerning Colleen before Frankie had joined the team. Hannibal had told him that they had patched things up but now with Murdock's darkening mood Frankie wasn't too sure.  
  
Hannibal poked his head into the rec room. "Stockwell's on the line." Smith reported quietly before leaving.  
  
Frankie tossed down the paddle as the trio headed for the living room. "So much for peace and quiet."  
  
"You'd be bored with peace and quiet." Murdock replied with a grin.  
  
****  
  
It was nearly ten o'clock before Colleen returned to her office with Face in tow. Once there she went into the dark room and retrieved the pictures she had taken the morning before.  
  
"What do you make of this?" Brown asked as she handed the stack of ten pictures to Peck.  
  
Face took off his leather jacket before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Looks like a pay off." Face replied after he sifted through the pile.  
  
"That what I thought too, but I can't figure out for what." Colleen stated as she sat down behind her desk. "The guy in the brown suit is the cheating husband I was hired to find."  
  
Peck flipped through the pictures again. "This doesn't look like your typical bribe or Mafia pay off. Could be drugs."  
  
Colleen nodded. "I thought I saw them exchange something else but I was too far away to see what it was."  
  
Face grimaced but kept his gaze on the pictures. He knew Colleen was more than capable of handling herself in any situation but he worried about her going on these things alone.  
  
"I think you have the case wrapped up already." Face replied quietly as he set the photos on the desk. "You were hired to find the husband and you found him case closed."  
  
Colleen hadn't missed the worry that had crossed his face but she was grateful that he didn't start an old argument. When she had first started to take Private Investigator courses to get her license Templeton had been as supportive as anyone could ask for. But she could also tell how her new career choice had worried him.  
  
"I know but....."Brown began hesitantly as she looked back down at the pictures.  
  
"But you still want to look into the pay off angle." Face finished reaching over to take her hand in his.  
  
Colleen squeezed his hand as she replied. "Don't you have to check in with Hannibal?"  
  
Face shook his head. "As far as they are concerned I'm on vacation. They can deal without me for a week."  
  
*********  
  
As the team assembled in the living room the small video screen on the center wall flared to life revealing Stockwell's grim face.  
  
The General glanced at the group and frowned. "Aren't we two short?"  
  
Murdock grinned. "You promised Faceman and Colleen a week's vacation."  
  
"Yes." Stockwell replied. "Which doesn't start until Friday."  
  
"Lighten up." Frankie interjected as he leaned forward. "You were young once, right?"  
  
Stockwell ignored the comment and continued. "One of my men was killed in Stockholm roughly thirty six hours ago. Taken from the body was a diskette that contained a list of all current operatives."  
  
Frankie groaned. "Why does this sound like a really bad spy novel?"  
  
"Because it is." Murdock agreed as he leaned back against the cushion.   
  
Hannibal did a double take at the small screen. "All current operatives?"  
  
Murdock straightened at the tone in the Colonel's voice.  
  
"Yes, Colonel that disk does have the a-team included on that list." Stockwell replied uncomfortably.  
  
"How the hell did that happen?" Smith demanded as he stood. "This was supposed to be a need to know operation. We'd do jobs for you and you'd get us cleared."  
  
"But I'm not part of the team so my name's not on the list, right?" Frankie asked though the sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise.  
  
"You worked under me, Mr. Santana so your name is also on that disk." Stockwell replied grimly calling the team in on this had been his last option but he knew it was also his best option of getting the disk back in tact.  
  
"Let me guess," B.A. began as he leaned forward. "The Russian's took the disk."  
  
"The cold war's over, B.A." Smith countered as he moved to stand at the right of the sofa.  
  
"Not in all circles, Colonel." Stockwell pointed out. "I want you to be ready to leave in five hours."  
  
"Do we get to know where we're going?" Santana asked as he stood.  
  
"Where ever we're going we better not be flyin'." BA said firmly.  
  
"The information you need will be provided to you once you're in the air." Stockwell replied as he ended the video link.  
  
"Oh this is going to be a whole lot of fun." Frankie stated sarcastically as he walked over to the closet and pulled out his small black duffel bag.  
  
"I'm not gettin' on no plane." Baracus protested waving a fist at the now dark screen. "Especially if that fool's flying."  
  
"Now when have I ever let you down, buddy?" Murdock asked with a wide grin.  
  
Baracus raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I can name several."  
  
Murdock placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "That stings, BA, that you don't trust me."  
  
Smith hid a grin as he turned to face them. "B.A. relax, we don't even know where we're going. So there's no need to get worked up yet."  
  
"Want me to go get Faceman?" BA asked resignedly as he stood.  
  
Smith shook his head. "As far as Stockwell's concerned Face and Colleen are on vacation. We'll let them know what's going since we can't tell them where we're going just yet. In case we need backup."  
  
"I'll tell 'em." Murdock offered as he grabbed his brown leather jacket and headed toward the front door. He had wanted to see Colleen any way before she left.  
  
"Make it fast, Murdock." Smith ordered quietly. "Since Stockwell's sending us in blind I need you back here to help gather the gear."  
  
The pilot nodded. "I'll be back faster than Scooby can eat a Scooby snack."  
  
B.A. just shook his head as the door closed behind Murdock.  
  
*******  
  
Colleen and Face stopped by her apartment after leaving her office. They had about an hour to kill before anybody showed up at the cheating husband's auto repair business.  
  
"So what do we know about this guy besides the fact that he ducks out on his wife?" Peck asked as he sat down on her sofa.  
  
Colleen walked away from the small kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Face and sat down next to him.  
  
"Steven Marshal, age thirty nine, wife Andrea. Has owned Marshal auto repair for the past four years but the company hasn't been doing well."  
  
"All classic signs of a desperate man willing to do anything to get out of debt." Face finished just as there was a knock on the door.  
  
Colleen set down her coffee mug and rose to her feet and crossed the room to answer the door.  
  
"Henry?" Colleen asked in surprise as her child hood friend stepped into the room.  
  
"Hey Bonns." Murdock replied with a grin as he came to a stop in the living room.  
  
Face stood seeing the expression on the pilot's face. "Don't tell me, Stockwell's recalled us."  
  
Murdock smiled and shook his head as he placed an arm around Colleen's waist. "Nope. I made sure your guy's vacation was free and clear."  
  
"But?" Brown prompted as she turned to face Henry.  
  
Murdock sighed. "Stockwell's sending the rest of us on some weird spy thing. We're leaving in five hours. Hannibal wanted me to let you know what was going on since Stockwell didn't give us any geographical details."  
  
"Spy thing?" Face repeated with a frown. "I don't like the sound of this, Murdock."  
  
Murdock forced a smile not wanting his friends to worry on their vacation.   
  
"No worries, Faceman. Simple retrieve job....in and out....same as always." Murdock replied. "Toughest part will be getting B.A. on a plane."  
  
Colleen turned to face Murdock catching something in her friend's voice. "What's really going on, Henry? Hannibal wouldn't send you over....."  
  
Murdock gently touched her right cheek. "You know Hannibal, Bonns, he's just covering all the angles. Nothing for you guys to worry about."  
  
Murdock broke away from Colleen and turned to face Peck. "Faceman, you make sure she relaxes on this vacation of yours."  
  
Peck nodded though he was still concerned about this new mission Stockwell was sending them on. Nothing was ever simple with Stockwell.   
  
"We'll send you a postcard every day, Murdock." Face replied forcing a smile.  
  
Murdock returned his friend's smile and turned to leave.  
  
Colleen caught up to the pilot just as he reached the door.   
  
"Henry....."  
  
Murdock paused a few feet from the door and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bonns....relax, have fun......dance in the moonlight. No thoughts about missions, guns, or putting away the bad guys, comprende'?"  
  
Colleen smiled and nodded as she opened the door for him. "I promise." She replied quietly. "I know I've said this before and you guys don't listen to me......but please don't take any unnecessary risks."  
  
Murdock nodded touching her shoulder gently once more before stepping out into the corridor.  
  
********  
  
Friday came sooner than Colleen realized and she found herself standing with Face at one of the smaller terminals at Washington D.C.'s airport.  
  
"Well at least you didn't blindfold me." Colleen commented dryly as they stood looking out a floor to ceiling window at the tarmac.  
  
Peck placed an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. "I was tempted to but figured that might be bordering on over kill."  
  
"So where's our plane?" Colleen asked with a grin as she stepped closer to the window.  
  
"That's it coming in now." Face replied pointing to a private jet taxing into a nearby gate.  
  
Colleen blinked in surprise. "That's all for us?"  
  
Face pulled her into his arms turning her away from the window. "Only the best, luv."  
  
*******  
  
"This is a waste of time." Frankie exclaimed in frustration as the team sat in a rental car outside a small Amsterdam cafe. The jet lag was making him irritable and antsy not a good combination. "We've been sitting here for the past four hours watching this place and we're not even really sure what the guy looks like that we're lookin' for!"  
  
"Patience, Frankie." Hannibal replied quietly from the front seat his eyes never leaving the restaurant. "Besides we're on Stockwell's dime.....consider this a working vacation."  
  
"Some vacation." B.A. muttered darkly he was still mad at having been drugged not once but twice on this trip.  
  
"B.A., you aren't still sore about the drug thing are ya?" Murdock asked from the back seat where he was shuffling a deck of tarot cards.  
  
"Didn't have to do it twice." Baracus replied as he glared at the pilot via the rearview mirror.  
  
"How else were we going to get from Copenhagen to Amsterdam?" Frankie asked as he leaned back against the seat.  
  
B.A. shook his head. "It wasn't that far......could've taken a boat."  
  
Hannibal chuckled. "Yeah and we would've lost the guy's trail and you'd have to spend more time on a plane as we track him down all over again."  
  
Murdock began to hum as he rubbed the deck of cards with the bottom of his palm.  
  
B.A. shot the pilot an annoyed glare. "What's the crazy fool doin' now?"  
  
Frankie glanced over at his friend and shook his head in amusement. "What do you think?"  
  
B.A. sighed. "Not again."  
  
Murdock stopped humming and flipped over two tarot cards onto his lap. "The Great Murdock sees that our path is about to change."  
  
"The only thing that's goin' change is your face when I rearrange it." B.A. growled as he turned around to face Murdock.  
  
The pilot ignored his friend as he continued to flip over cards. "What we are seeking is about to appear."  
  
Frankie did a double take out the front window. "I don't believe it....."  
  
B.A. whirled around and saw their target walk into the cafe."Coincidence....has to be."  
  
"Let's move." Smith ordered as he opened the door.  
  
Murdock just smiled at Baracus as he put the deck of tarot cards back in his jacket pocket and got out of the car.  
  
********  
  
The jet had been in the air for nearly an hour and all Colleen knew of their destination was that they were heading out over the Atlantic. She turned toward Peck as they sat on the small black leather sofa.  
  
"You still haven't told me where we're going." Colleen accused with a grin.  
  
Face returned her smile as he pulled her into his arms. "I haven't, have I?"  
  
"Face!" Colleen protested as she turned around to look at him her hand resting lightly on his chest. "You promised once we were in the air you'd tell me."  
  
Templeton laughed as he tenderly reached up to touch her left cheek. "Okay....okay. I've booked us six glorious days and five fun filled nights in London."  
  
Colleen's face lit up. "London?" She repeated a wide smile on her face.  
  
Peck nodded. "I remembered that you had been there once years ago and loved it."  
  
"While I was in college a few friends of mine and I went to London on a whim." Colleen replied her hazel eyes sparkling at the memory. "We had a blast and I always wanted to go back but never found the time." She reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for doing this."  
  
Face gently brushed a stray brown hair away from her cheek. "It was the least I could do to repay you for putting up with the craziness that is my life."  
  
*******  
  
"Did anybody else think that was way too easy?" Frankie asked as the team returned to the rental car twenty minutes later with rouge CIA agent Russel Peters in tow.  
  
"The plan came together, Frankie." Hannibal assured the younger man as they got into the sedan. "Just like it always does."  
  
"And just like always there's a wild card." B.A. replied gesturing out the window to a group of armed goons approaching from the north corner of the cafe.  
  
"Time to burn rubber, B.A." Hannibal ordered with a grin.  
  
B.A. slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and the sedan leapt forward.   
  
Pedestrians dove for cover as the goons opened fire. Hannibal and Murdock returned fire as best they could without injuring any innocent bystanders.  
  
"A warning from the 'Great Murdock' would've been nice." Frankie muttered sarcastically as he dove for the car's floor as the rear window shattered.  
  
"The Great Murdock only sees what the cards tell him." Murdock replied defensively nearly falling on top of Santana as B.A. pulled the car into a hard left.  
  
Hannibal risked a glance out of what was left of the rear window. "We lost them B.A., take us back to the hotel."  
  
******  
  
"Thanks again for your help on the Marshal case." Colleen commented as they shared a meal of chicken parmesan.  
  
"Glad I could help." Face replied trying to shove aside the memory of losing sight of Colleen during the firefight at Marshal's garage. Face had thought she'd been hit when she hadn't returned fire for a few minutes. He had started to work his way over to the last place he had seen her when the gunfire had suddenly stopped. Face had looked up just in time to see Colleen holding a gun on Marshal and the other men.  
  
Peck chuckled. "I'll never forget the look on Marshal's face when you came up behind them."  
  
Colleen laughed. "That's the fun part of the job putting the bad guys away."  
  
Face met her gaze. "You've helped a lot of people, Colleen." He replied seriously. "And I'm not just talking about your investigator skills. You've helped the team out of more than one incident where Hannibal's never fail fool proof plans backed us into a corner."  
  
Colleen shook her head blushing slightly. "You guys are the pros I just did what I could. I'm glad I could help."  
  
Face reached across the small table and took her hand in his. "We should be getting to London in about four hours."  
  
Colleen grinned. "Four hours? Whatever will we do with all that time?"  
  
Face returned her smile. "I'm sure we'll think of something."   
  
********  
  
"Search him." Hannibal ordered as soon as the team entered the hotel room. "Lets get that disk and get the hell out of here."  
  
"What's the matter, Colonel?" Murdock asked as he stood by the window.   
  
"You don't like tulips?"  
  
"I'm tired of Stockwell not coming through on his end." Smith replied.  
  
"Hate to say this, Hannibal." B.A. stated as he slammed the rouge CIA agent against the wall. "But he doesn't have the disk on him."  
  
"Of course he doesn't." Frankie commented sarcastically from his perch on the dresser. "I knew this was too easy." 


	3. chapter two

Five hours later Colleen and Face stepped into their spacious hotel room in London's West End theater district.   
  
"This is beautiful, Face." Colleen stated with a grin as she dropped her suitcase on the bed and crossed over to the large window that looked over the Themes River.  
  
Face set down his own suitcase and walked over so he was standing behind her. He gently drew Colleen into his arms so she was leaning against him. "I thought you might like it."  
  
Colleen turned around so she was facing him. "I love you." She whispered as she leaned over to kiss him.  
  
When they finally broke apart Face rested his head on hers as he looked out the window. "It's nearly six p.m., London time, want to grab something to eat?"  
  
Colleen nodded. "The jet lag has made me hungry. What else do you have planned for tonight?"  
  
Face pulled back slightly so he could pull a thin envelope out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "You up for a night of theater?"  
  
*******  
  
As Face and Colleen sat in a small Chinese restaurant a few blocks from the theater Face couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed. With the team being forced on the run fifteen years ago and now working for Stockwell they were constantly looking over their shoulders waiting for the other shoe to drop.   
  
"So what's the play about?" Colleen asked snapping Face away from his thoughts.   
  
"It's one of those audience participation solve the mystery type things." Peck replied.  
  
"Supposed to be very good."  
  
"Sounds fun." Colleen said as she reached across the table to squeeze his hand.  
  
The waitress arrived with the main course. "I've included two forks along with the chopsticks just in case." The black haired woman stated.  
  
"Thanks." Face replied. "Can you bring the check?"  
  
"Of course, Sir." The waitress affirmed before turning and disappearing into the crowd.   
  
As the waitress went to the register she couldn't believe the storm of emotions that were swirling inside of her. She knew that there had always been a chance that the infamous A-team had escaped the firing squad. But she hadn't been prepared for the anger that emerged when she saw Templeton again.  
  
Her beautiful Templeton with another woman. After he had promised to give her the world he had the nerve to jump into bed with this little chick?  
  
The register beeped regaining the waitress's attention. She plucked out the check and started back toward Templeton's table. Just as before he barely glanced at her as she laid the check down. But that would change. Now that she knew he was here in London she would make sure that Templeton Peck would never leave her arms again.   
  
******  
  
"How are we supposed to find this thing at night?" Frankie muttered as he, B.A and Murdock ventured out of the hotel and into the still bustling streets of Amsterdam. "For all we know the disk is back in the   
  
States. Where we should be."  
  
"At least we have a lead." B.A. replied as he squinted at the address on a small piece of yellow paper. "That's more than we had this morning."  
  
"Which way are we headed, munchacho?" Murdock asked as the three got into the rental car.  
  
"East." Baracus replied as he got into the driver's seat and started the engine.  
  
********  
  
For Colleen the two-hour play flew by. It seemed they had just barely taken their seats and looked over the program when the actors came out to take their final bow to a standing ovation.   
  
Face and Colleen stood and waited their turn to merge with the other theater patrons on their way to the exit.  
  
"Tired?" Peck asked with a tender smile as Colleen rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Brown nodded as she smothered a yawn. "I guess the jetlag finally caught up with me." She raised her head to meet his gaze. "I did have fun tonight, thank you, Face."  
  
"Your welcome." Face replied softly as he leaned in to kiss her quickly.  
  
As they broke apart the line started to move and Face and Colleen soon found themselves outside on the sidewalk looking for a cab.  
  
A cab finally pulled up to the sidewalk and Face and Colleen got in. Neither of them noticed a dark haired woman sitting in the driver's seat of a brown car parked a few cars back.  
  
******  
  
"Are you sure you wrote down the right address?" Murdock asked twenty   
  
minutes later as he peered out the car window.  
  
"Yes." B.A. growled fighting to keep his temper in check.  
  
"This is a house." Murdock protested as they looked at the small thatch roofed one story cottage.  
  
"Murdock's right." Frankie replied as he leaned forward. "It can't be a house....the bad guy always stashes it in a museum or a warehouse."  
  
B.A. sighed as he yanked the car keys out of the ignition and opened the door. "You two fools have been watching too many old movies."  
  
Frankie and Murdock exchanged a nervous glance before following B.A. out of the car.  
  
******  
  
Once back at the hotel Face and Colleen ordered a light snack of fruit and cheese from room service.  
  
"Admit it." Colleen stated with a giggle. "You wrote the chef off as a suspect."  
  
"No I didn't." Face argued remembering the plot of the play. "He was the most obvious suspect."  
  
"Which is why you wrote him off after the first act." Colleen replied as she moved into his embrace as they stood by the window. "I saw the look on your face when they revealed who the killer was."  
  
"That look was because I was surprised they chose the obvious route." Face replied with a grin.  
  
A knock on the door announced the arrival of room service. Colleen sat on the bed as Face went to answer the door.  
  
The waiter rolled the cart into the center of the room. Face tipped the waiter and closed the door behind him.  
  
"So which would you like to start with?" Face asked without turning around. "A strawberry or a slice of...."  
  
Peck trailed off as he turned around and saw Colleen was sound asleep.  
  
Face shook his head as he replaced the fruit onto the tray. He walked over to the wall by the door and hit the light switch turning off the lights. Kicking off his shoes Face quickly got into bed.  
  
"I love you." Templeton whispered as he wrapped his arms around Colleen pulling her close.  
  
**********  
  
"B.A. don't touch that!" Murdock exclaimed as he rushed across the house's den to where Baracus was standing by the bookcase.  
  
B.A. glared at the pilot. "It's a book, fool, not a bomb."  
  
Murdock shook his head. "But the hollow book is always attached to a bomb or a secret passage."  
  
B.A. just shook his head as he plucked out the thick volume.  
  
Frankie did a double take as the book stopped halfway, attached to a thin wire.  
  
B.A. froze as his eyes traced the wire but he couldn't see beyond where it disappeared behind the shelf.  
  
"Don't just stand there." B.A. barked fighting to keep his hand steady on the book. "Find out what it's attached to!"  
  
Murdock and Frankie instantly crouched down.  
  
"Now this is a sloppy wiring job." Santana muttered as he moved books out of the way.   
  
"Can you see where it goes?" Murdock asked quietly as he continued to take books off the shelves.  
  
"Yeah." Frankie replied with a chuckle. "B.A. you can relax and put the book back and you might want to step back."  
  
"Why?" Baracus asked warily as he replaced the book and stepped back.   
  
Just then the wire tripped the mechanism and the bookcase swung outwards nearly toppling B.A. in the process.  
  
Murdock laughed. "He did tell you to stand back."  
  
"A simple watch out for the bookcase would've worked too." B.A. grumbled as he stepped into the passageway behind the bookcase. "You two fools comin'?"  
  
"You really think the disk's in there?" Frankie asked as he gingerly stepped into the corridor.  
  
"No but it'll lead to the disk." Murdock replied.  
  
"Another insight from the Great Murdock?" Frankie asked with a grin.  
  
Murdock shook his head. "Nope a great dane......Scooby Doo."  
  
*********  
  
After a leisurely breakfast courtesy of room service Face and Colleen left the hotel and hopped a double decker bus for some sight seeing.  
  
They spent the morning going through the Tower of London and Windsor castle. They stopped for a quick lunch at a busy pub before going to an art show along the bank of the Themes.  
  
"Spot anything you like?" Face asked as they walked along.  
  
Colleen shook her head. "Not yet they're all lovely. But most are too large for my apartment."  
  
"They're some small oil paintings in that tent." Templeton replied as he stopped and pointed to a blue tent a few feet away.  
  
Colleen glanced back at him. "I'll take a quick look and be right back."  
  
Face laughed. "We're on vacation, remember? No time clock."  
  
"I keep forgetting." Colleen replied with a grin as she leaned in to kiss him quickly.  
  
Face shook his head in amusement as he watched Colleen enter the tent. The blond man turned and moved toward the edge of the crowd to look out at the river.  
  
Face had barely gone a few feet when he felt the all too familiar pressure of a gun barrel being pressed into the small of his back.  
  
Peck stiffened and started to raise his hands kicking himself for not being more aware.  
  
"Don't move." A some how familiar female voice replied. "I have friends in the crowd. If you move or try to alert anyone your lady friend is dead. And before you say it no this isn't a robbery."  
  
"What do you want?" Face asked fighting to keep his voice even.  
  
"Just your lovely company, Face." The woman replied urging him back into the crowd.  
  
Face winced inwardly.....she knew who he was.....definitely not a good thing.  
  
*******  
  
"How can it not be the right disk?" Hannnibal demanded as he pressed the phone receiver closer to his ear. They had sent the disk back to Stockwell last night via express over night courier.  
  
"I didn't think you were hard of hearing, Colonel." Stockwell replied curtly as he tossed the useless computer disk into the trashcan. "The disk is empty."  
  
"How do I know you weren't yanking our chain all along?" Hannibal asked.   
  
"Why would I waste my time and money to send you on a wild goose chase?" Stockwell replied angrily. "Find the disk or our deal is off the table, permanently."  
  
Hannibal hung up the phone just as Murdock approached him from the opposite side of the hotel room. "We followed the trail, Colonel. That had to be the disk."  
  
"According to Stockwell it wasn't." Smith replied as he glanced at Frankie and B.A. who were guarding the rouge CIA agent. "Now we have to   
  
get the right information from our new friend here."  
  
*********  
  
Colleen stepped out of the tent twenty minutes later carrying a medium sized oil painting of a beach sunset.  
  
"Sorry I took so long.....you know me couldn't decide on just one......"Colleen trailed off as she realized Face wasn't anywhere nearby.  
  
"Face?" Colleen called anxiously as she weaved through the crowd fighting to keep her worry at bay. He probably just got bored and went to get something to eat.  
  
After searching for a half-hour Colleen's P.I. instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong. Face would never have left for this long without letting her know.  
  
Colleen wanted to search the area longer but knew she had no choice but to go back to the hotel. That's where Face would contact her if he could.  
  
With a heavy heart Colleen placed the nearly forgotten painting under one arm and walked to the sidewalk to hail a cab.  
  
*********  
  
As he walked along with a gun still pressed in his back Face was doing two things. Racking his memory and formulating an escape plan.  
  
The one glance he had gotten of the woman who was holding him hostage.....it was the waitress from the night before that much was obvious. But Face knew her from somewhere before he just couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"Turn right." The woman ordered shoving Peck forward a few steps.  
  
Face glanced at the three goons who flanked her as he reluctantly walked into the small alley next to a meat market.  
  
"Before you kill me can I ask why you're doing this?" Face asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Didn't I already say I wasn't going to kill you?" The woman replied a little too smugly for Face's taste.  
  
"Then you can put the gun away." Templeton urged hoping that the three goons blocking the alleyway were the only one's she had. That would mean Colleen was safe.  
  
"I'm not that dumb, darling." His kidnapper replied as she followed her gaze to her men. "And if you're wondering about your precious lady friend more of my men are watching her. So don't even think of playing hero."  
  
Templeton's blue eyes narrowed sharply. "You have me there's no need to threaten her."  
  
********  
  
"I know you, Templeton Peck, even if you don't remember me." The woman replied as she moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "A threat against you won't work to keep you in line.....you need a little more persuasion to keep you from escaping."  
  
"Do you see me going anywhere?" Face countered as he guesstimated the distance between him and the mouth of the alley....too far.  
  
The woman smiled as she pushed him toward a door at the end of the alley. "And until you agree to my terms you won't be going anywhere.....especially back to your precious lady love."  
  
*********  
  
"B.A. put the man down." Hannibal ordered as he approached Baracus who had Peters pressed against the wall in a chokehold.  
  
B.A. cast Hannibal a brief glance over his shoulder. "I thought we wanted answers from this clown, Hannibal?"  
  
"We do, but I'm going to let Murdock take a crack at our friend here." Smith replied as he sat down on the arm of the sofa.  
  
B.A. caught Hannibal's hidden meaning and grinned as he stepped away from the rouge CIA agent.  
  
Peters's backed up against the wall as he looked warily from Barcus's now grinning form to Murdock's approaching one and back again.  
  
"They don't call him Howling Mad Murdock for nothing." Frankie added as he leaned against the wall near the window.  
  
"Howling Mad?" Peters repeated weakly as Murdock stopped next to B.A.  
  
Smith nodded. "Thinks he's back in 'Nam fighting. No matter what we do we can't snap him out of it."  
  
Murdock instantly went into character as he dropped into a crouch next to Peter's. "They're all around us, Colonel!"  
  
Peters opened his mouth to say something but Murdock tackled the agent and causing them to land near the window.  
  
"Fire in the hole!" Murdock yelled as he covered his head with his hands to protect it from falling debris.  
  
Peters glared at Smith. "Get this crazy idiot off of me and I'll tell you whatever you want to know."  
  
*********  
  
By five o'clock Colleen had called every hospital in London and within a hundred miles of the city. None of them had any John Doe's listed or any patients that fit Face's description. The police hadn't been very helpful either but they had promised to have the night shift keep an eye out in the area Face disappeared.  
  
Colleen set the phone aside and rested her face in her hands closing her eyes. She couldn't think the worst, not yet. She had been around the team too long not to know that there was always a plan. Face would contact her when he could.  
  
Colleen glanced up, what if he was in some situation where he couldn't? Making up her mind Colleen reached for the phone to call Hannibal but her hand froze halfway.  
  
The team was on that recovery mission, and Murdock hadn't told her where they were going. But more than likely they flew so they wouldn't have the van. Which meant they wouldn't have the portable phone.  
  
It was only then that Colleen remembered Stockwell's number, which she kept in her wallet. Face had given it to her a few months back when she first joined the team, just in case she ever got separated from them.  
  
Colleen quickly retrieved her purse and removed the blue business card. She didn't want to tip Stockwell to the situation but she wanted her message to Hannibal to sound urgent enough to get them to come to London.  
  
"This is Colleen Brown I need to speak with General Hunt Stockwell."  
  
******  
  
Face sat on the floor of a small windowless room in the rear of a bookstore. His captor had made sure to tie his feet and hands and gag him before she left. Not that he would try to escape right now.....not with the threat against Colleen hanging in the air.  
  
Face closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. He could only hope that Colleen hadn't been hurt. After nearly losing her in the boat explosion Face had rarely let Colleen out of his sight. This vacation was supposed to be just for them....a thank you to her for putting up with the craziness that his life had turned into.  
  
Now she was being threatened and he was tied up, locked in a dark room by a crazy woman helpless to protect the one woman he had ever truly loved.  
  
Face began to work at the ropes that bound his hands.....if there was just some way he could get word to Hannibal or Murdock. They'd watch over Colleen until he could find out who this crazy woman was and what she wanted.  
  
********  
  
After getting the correct location of the disk from the ex-CIA agent Hannibal and the others returned to the hotel.  
  
"Guess that wraps up this one." Frankie commented with a grin as he slipped the disk into a protective plastic covering. "Peters is in jail and we've got the disk....should've looked in the windmill in the first place."  
  
B.A. glared at him slightly. 'Why? We didn't know it was there."  
  
"But it was on the same property as the house we checked earlier."   
  
Frankie replied with a grin. "Bad guys never hide things in houses....too obvious."  
  
"It's only obvious that you've been hanging around the crazy fool too long. You're talkin' like him." Baracaus commented with a shake of his head as he started to gather their things.  
  
Smith glanced up as Murdock moved away from the desk where he had been calling the front desk to check on messages. "Anything from the home front, Murdock?"  
  
The pilot nodded as he leaned back against the desk a worried expression on his face. "Yeah."  
  
"What?" Hannibal asked not liking the look on his friend's face.  
  
"There was a message from Stockwell passing along a message from Colleen." Murdock replied gaining the others attention.  
  
"About Face?" Frankie asked with concern as he joined them B.A. close on his heels.  
  
Murdock nodded then shook his head. "Maybe, not sure but she is in trouble."  
  
"How do you know, Murdock?" Hannibal asked gently. "What was the message?"  
  
" 'Can't dance in the moonlight.' " Murdock replied quietly before pushing himself away from the desk and grabbing his coat from a nearby chair.  
  
********  
  
Frankie shook his head in amazement as the plane made it's way to London. Face would never believe in a million years that they hadn't had to drug B.A. to get him on the plane. B.A. had squeezed his eyes shut and strapped himself into the seat next to Frankie but he hadn't protested, not a word. Not even when Murdock took the pilot's seat.  
  
That in itself showed how much a part of the team Colleen had become. Frankie could only hope that they were in time to be of any help.  
  
********  
  
Seven o'clock came and went and the room service meal that Colleen had   
  
ordered for dinner sat untouched on the foot of the bed. The brown haired woman stood and walked over to the window and stared out at the beautiful city lights of London.  
  
She hadn't had any luck finding Face at any of the local hospitals. Colleen wasn't sure if that was good news or bad. Part of her had been hoping against hope that he was there. Not that she wanted him hurt but at least that would be better than this awful not knowing.  
  
Colleen rubbed a weary hand along the back of her neck. Hannibal had called an hour ago to assure her that they were on their way. But she knew it'd still be at least another hour before they got here from Amsterdam.  
  
Her instincts were screaming at her to get out of the hotel and look for Face. He was still in the city she could feel it.   
  
But Colleen knew from her experience with the team that it was better to stay put and wait for Hannibal and the others. There was so much of this mess that she didn't have the answers to. They had no idea who had taken Face and if it was more than one person.  
  
********  
  
"Now here's the fun part." The woman crowed as she entered the room and flipped on the light. "What do I do with you first? Mental torture? Physical torture? Just plain pain?"  
  
Face met her gaze. "Who are you?" He demanded hoping that rational direct questions would shake her out of whatever delusional state she had fallen into. He'd been around Murdock long enough to get good at it.  
  
The woman knelt next to him and traced a hand along his left cheek and down to his chin. "I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that you don't remember me, Facey. You are such a ladykiller after all. Does your current lady friend know about your reputation?"   
  
"I know you were our waitress at the restaurant, but who are you?" Face replied quietly.  
  
The woman looked at him for a long moment and Face could've swore that he saw a cloud of sadness flicker across her eyes before she stood.  
  
"Perhaps hunger will jog your memory." The woman stated as she turned and left the room.  
  
********  
  
As soon as Colleen let the team into the hotel suite and closed the door Murdock instantly enveloped his friend in a hug.  
  
"How ya doin' Munchacho?" The pilot whispered.  
  
Colleen shook her head and buried her face into Murdock's chest allowing herself to cry. The whole ordeal was starting to take it's toll.  
  
"I let him down." Colleen stated quietly.  
  
"No, you didn't Bonns." Murdock replied as he pulled back so he could see her face. "There's no way you could've seen this coming."  
  
"I'm trained for this, Murdock." Colleen replied bitterly as she untangled herself from her friend's embrace. She glanced at the living room part of the suite to see the others had began to turn it into a makeshift command post.  
  
Murdock lightly touched her shoulder gently ushering her toward the others. "So is Face and he's been doing this much longer than you."  
  
"Fool's right, Colleen." B.A. stated as he sat on the sofa next to Hannibal. "We'll find the Faceman."  
  
Colleen smiled at the group as she wiped away her tears. She knelt next to Frankie and looked at the various maps spread out on the coffee table. "So what's the plan, Hannibal?"  
  
"First are foremost we need to figure out who has Face."  
  
********  
  
Face's captor turned to one of her henchmen as they stood in the main room of the bookstore. "The woman still at the hotel?"  
  
The red haired henchman nodded. "Yeah, and she has company."  
  
The woman smirked. "So the famous A-team has arrived, huh? This will make it more difficult to get to her but not impossible. Leave Miller and McGarry with me. Take the rest to the hotel but wait till after midnight."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am." The man acknowledged as he moved toward the door pulling out a walkie-talkie.  
  
The woman glanced back at the room where Face was. Once his lady love was out of Face's life he'd be hers forever. And she'd have the reward for the rest of the A-team not bad at all.  
  
*********  
  
Frankie ducked as the pen Colleen threw at the window bounced off and nearly beaned him in the head.  
  
"Sorry, Frankie." Colleen said sheepishly. She had thrown the pen out of pure frustration. It was eleven o'clock and they still had no leads on Face's whereabouts.  
  
"No problem." Santana replied with a grin. "I'm used to dodging stuff."  
  
Hannibal placed a gentle hand on Colleen's shoulder. "We've gone on less in the past, Colleen. We'll find Face."  
  
Colleen nodded as she slumped back against the sofa. "I know....it's just that he did all this for me.... and now...."  
  
Hannibal smiled. "Face takes care of the people he loves no matter what. We'll figure this out just like always and Face will come home."  
  
"What can I do?" Colleen asked anxious to be doing something, anything to help Face.  
  
Hannibal glanced at the others and saw that the jetlag was starting to take it's toll. "Let's get some sleep. We'll retrace your steps in the morning. Murdock, take the first watch, then Frankie."  
  
"You got it." Murdock replied with a concerned glance at Colleen. He pulled a chair over to the hallway near the door and sat down his feet propped against the opposite wall.  
  
The others said their good nights and found places to sleep. B.A. took the floor, Hannibal the sofa and Frankie a chair by the window.  
  
Colleen got ready for bed with an empty heart. She crawled into bed and hugged the comforter closer around her. Colleen prayed that wherever Face was that he was warm and unhurt.  
  
*********  
  
Face didn't even bother to look at the door as it opened. Whatever knots the woman had used to tie him up they were good. Really good. Face hadn't been able to work his hands free. It looked like he was going to have to talk his way out of this one. Face just hoped that he could remember who this psycho was. For his sake as well as Colleen's.  
  
"So did you get any enlightenment while I was gone?" The woman asked as she knelt in front of him.  
  
"San Diego." Face replied taking a wild guess. In the years right after the team went underground Face had spent a good deal of whatever off time he had in San Diego. He had never had a night without a date. Face was guessing that this woman was from that time of his life. He didn't remember much of those hard partying days let alone who the women were.  
  
His captor's face lit up and she rocked back on her heels. "Very good, golden boy earns a star. Too bad it's too little too late."  
  
Cold dread raced up Face's spine. Was the rest of the team here yet? Were they protecting Colleen?  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Face demanded.  
  
The woman grinned as she leaned forward to kiss Face but he jerked away glaring.  
  
"By dawn your precious lady love will be no more."  
  
Face's mind scrambled desperately trying to come up with a way to protect Colleen but nothing came.  
  
"You have me." Face pleaded. "You have no reason to hurt her."  
  
The woman stood but not before she ran a longing hand across Face's chest.  
  
"Oh but I do, Facey. She has your heart." She replied as she left the room.  
  
Face desperately glanced at his surroundings. There had to be something here he could use. Losing Colleen once had nearly destroyed him. There was no way in hell Face was going to let history repeat itself.  
  
********  
  
Around two a.m. B.A. was jerked out of a sound sleep. He glanced around the hotel room and saw the others were still asleep. B.A. was about to settle back into sleep when he noticed what was out of place. The Fool wasn't by the door and Frankie was snoring in the chair by the window. Murdock hadn't woken Frankie up for watch.  
  
Cursing under his breath B.A. lumbered to his feet and crept into the other room. He found one of the lights on a low setting. Colleen was sprawled on the bed a tea cup on the nightstand.   
  
B.A. was about to chalk it up to his imagination when he saw Murdock's still form near the closet.  
  
"Hannibal!" B.A. shouted as he scrambled toward the pilot flipping on the overhead light along the way. This whole thing felt bad. The Fool never left his post.  
  
Frankie and Hannibal ran into the room weapons drawn.  
  
"Check Colleen!" Baracus ordered as he felt for Murdock's pulse. It was then that he saw the broken tea cup by the pilot's outstretched hand.   
  
"They've been drugged, Hannibal!"  
  
"Damn!" Smith swore as he gently turned Colleen over. Frankie had grabbed the phone and was calling for an ambulance.  
  
"C'mon, kid." Hannibal whispered as he searched for Colleen's pulse.   
  
"Stay with us." He glanced over his shoulder at B.A. as he found Colleen's weak pulse. "How's Murdock?"  
  
"He's alive." B.A. replied crisply. "Pulse is strong. How's Colleen?"  
  
"Not good." Hannibal stated grimly as he crawled off the bed. Hannibal looked over at Frankie who had hung up the phone.  
  
"Ambulance is on it's way." Santana replied his dark eyes filled with worry.  
  
Hannibal nodded solemnly as he looked at Colleen and Murdock's still forms. Usually the team avoided hospitals relying on Stockwell's medical team. But there was no choice this time. Stockwell was an ocean away.  
  
B.A. caught his commanding officer's gaze. "Next hotel we stay at, Hannibal, no room service."  
  
Nobody smiled.  
  
***********  
  
Murdock came to on the way to the hospital. The Paramedics assured Hannibal that the drug hadn't had time to take a negative affect on Murdock's system.... something to be said for tolerance and Murdock's years of being in and out of asylums.  
  
Once at the hospital Frankie, B.A. and Hannibal commandeered the closest waiting room. Thirty minutes later Murdock, under much protest by the doctors, was wheeled into the waiting room having been given a clean bill of health.  
  
"Any word?" Murdock asked anxiously as he stepped wearily out of the wheelchair. B.A. took Murdock's left arm and helped him over to the sofa.  
  
Smith shook his head sadly. "All we know is that she ingested more of whatever the drug was then you did. Docs haven't said anything yet."  
  
Murdock buried his face in his hands. "My fault....should've known...."  
  
"They got past all of us, fool." B.A. tried to assure him as he placed an awkward hand on the pilot's shoulder.  
  
"She couldn't sleep." Murdock stated in a hitched voice. "Said tea would help her....so we ordered room service....didn't think to check it...."  
  
Hannibal shook his head. "We all underestimated the threat to Colleen." 


	4. chapter three

Face awoke with a start and slammed his head back against the wall in pure frustration. Morning and he hadn't made any headway on the knots that bound him or of finding a tool to aide his escape. Before Face could make another attempt at the ropes the door swung inward.   
  
Peck's stomach twisted at the happy, almost blissful look on his captor's face. She had followed through on her threat against Colleen, Face was sure of it. He could only pray that the team had been able to minimize the damage.  
  
"I brought you some breakfast." The woman stated as she walked over and set a tray next to Face. "Since you remembered part of who I am."  
  
Face glanced down at the plate of scones and eggs and then back at the   
  
woman. "Not hungry."  
  
"Suit yourself." The dark haired woman replied as she sat down in front of him cross legged and picked up one of the scones.  
  
Face bit his tongue. He was anxious to ask about Colleen but he wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction.   
  
The woman paused in her effort of spreading jelly on the scone and met his angry gaze. "Your lady love isn't dead if that's what you're worried about."  
  
"What if I never remember who you are?" Face asked in a tightly controlled voice.  
  
The woman munched silently on the scone for a moment before replying. "Then you are where you are meant to be, with me, forever."  
  
*******  
  
Hannibal stepped into the hospital room where Murdock was sitting by Colleen's bedside. Smith approached the pilot and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.   
  
"We're heading back to the hotel." Smith informed the younger man.   
  
"We're going to go over everything Colleen told us and see if we missed something."  
  
"I want to help." Murdock replied as he stood. "She needs Faceman."  
  
"She needs you." Hannibal stated firmly. "Whoever's after Face will find out that they didn't succeed in killing her and they'll come back."  
  
"Okay." Murdock replied quietly as he sat back down and returned his attention to his friend's still form. "What if we have to tell Faceman that....."  
  
Hannibal shook his head as he glanced at Colleen. "Won't happen,   
  
Murdock. She's tough....made it this far with us she won't let a little thing like a poison get the best of her."  
  
********  
  
Colleen awoke about four the next morning. Groggy and disoriented it took her several minutes to figure out where she was and what had happened. It was only when she opened her eyes and saw Murdock asleep in a chair by her bed that everything hit her full force.  
  
She had been poisoned.  
  
Face was still missing.  
  
With renewed determination Colleen tossed off the covers and swung her legs off the bed. When she stood the room swam. The dizziness was so strong it nearly forced Colleen back to bed.  
  
Colleen closed her eyes and leaned heavily against the bed. After several minutes the dizziness cleared and Colleen opened her eyes. Face hadn't' given up on her when she was missing there was no way she was going to let this setback keep her away. Especially when he needed her.  
  
Colleen had just started locating her clothes when Murdock's concerned voice halted her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, munchaco?" The pilot asked as he quickly reached Colleen's side and gently grasped her shoulder.  
  
"To look for Face." Colleen replied stubbornly shaking off her friend's grasp.  
  
Murdock blocked her path to the small bathroom. "The others have that covered."  
  
"They don't know where to look." Colleen pointed out trying to fight off her fatigue. Face needed her she had to concentrate on that.  
  
"Neither do you." Murdock replied gently as he wrapped her in a hug.  
  
Colleen collapsed against her old friend the strength leaving her as quickly as it had come. "He needs me." she whispered.  
  
"Faceman's tough, Bonns....he...."  
  
Colleen didn't seem to hear him as she pulled away her gaze drifting to the window. "God, Murdock if this person poisoned us what are they doing to him?"  
  
Murdock placed a supportive arm around her shoulder. "Colonel called earlier..... they made some progress by retracing your steps."  
  
Colleen's face lit up. "They have a lead?"  
  
Murdock didn't want to get her hopes up. Hannibal had been cagey at best over the phone. "You know Hannibal he wouldn't go into too much detail. But it sounded like they were getting close."  
  
"I hope so." Colleen replied quietly as her gaze drifted to the window.  
  
********  
  
Hannibal, Frankie and B.A. had commandeered an empty office space   
  
across the street from the Chinese restaurant that Face and Colleen   
  
had eaten at a few days before. Hannibal shook his head slightly as   
  
he looked through a pair of binoculars. Face would be proud of how   
  
Frankie had sweet talked Mrs. Lyman, the landlord, into letting them   
  
in.  
  
Frankie yawned and stretched nearly knocking B.A.'s cup of coffee off   
  
the arm of the chair.  
  
"Hannibal, why are we here so early? This place won't get busy until   
  
dinner time." Frankie asked wearily not noticing B.A.'s glare as the   
  
big man straightened the wayward cup.  
  
Hannibal didn't look away from the binoculars as he replied. "Face   
  
doesn't have that kind of time. Right now this is the only lead we   
  
have."  
  
B.A. shook his head in frustration. "Lead? We're not even sure there's   
  
a connection, Hannibal. All we know is that one of the waitresses   
  
hasn't shown up for work since Face disappeared."  
  
"That's one coincidence that we didn't have before, B.A." Hannibal   
  
replied as he lowered the binoculars.   
  
"So in other words we're playing a hunch that this woman missed work   
  
because she has Face hold up somewhere?" Frankie asked trying to   
  
clear the cobwebs out of his brain.  
  
"We've gone on less." Baracus muttered as he reached over and took the   
  
binoculars from Smith.  
  
"If she's missed work up until now why would she show up?" Frankie   
  
asked as he stood.  
  
Hannibal looked out the window. "Everyone needs money sometime,   
  
Frankie. Today's pay day. I'm hoping this woman will be crazy enough   
  
to come and claim her paycheck."  
  
"Stranger things have happened." Frankie replied as he came to stand   
  
next to Hannibal.   
  
*********  
  
Murdock sat in the hospital room watching Colleen sleep. She hadn't   
  
woken since she had regained consciousness early this morning. Part   
  
of him was relieved that she hadn't woken again. He had been scared   
  
when he had seen her trying to leave. Face had nearly gotten her killed   
  
once.....Murdock couldn't bear it if he lost her again. Outside of the   
  
guys, Colleen was the only family he had left.  
  
Murdock sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. He loved Face   
  
like a brother and knew he would never intentionally hurt Colleen or   
  
put her in danger. But ever since Colleen had first met Face danger   
  
seemed to follow them. Murdock knew that part of the danger was being   
  
associated with the team. But Murdock also knew that Face liked to   
  
take risks, it made him who he was.  
  
Murdock looked back at the still form of his friend. Colleen would   
  
probably never forgive or speak to him again. But Murdock could live   
  
with that if he knew she was safe. He had to keep her out of danger   
  
and for now that meant breaking her away from the team.  
  
And from Face.  
  
Murdock had to protect his family even if that meant destroying it.  
  
********  
  
Face ran in and quickly surveyed the room. Where were they? Had they even   
  
gotten here to help Colleen?   
  
Face was about to do a search of the room when he heard footsteps behind him.   
  
Still wary from his kidnapping ordeal Face whirled around fists raised.   
  
Murdock stepped back his hands raised defensively though it was clear he was happy to see his old friend safe and sound. "Easy Faceman, its just little ol' Murdock."   
  
Face visibly relaxed. His arms went slack at his sides and his shoulders slumped. But before his adrenaline rush faded completely Face had to know....he had to know where Colleen was.   
  
"Murdock?" Face asked in the end not being able to ask but Murdock seemed to know what he was asking.   
  
Murdock stepped further into the room and he placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "She's alive."   
  
"Thank God." Face whispered as he sank onto the corner of the bed. "What happened?"   
  
Murdock leaned against the wall his gaze traveling to the window. "Colleen couldn't sleep so we ordered room service. Some how there was poison in it....we were both knocked out cold before the others awoke and realized what had happened."   
  
"Are you okay?" Face asked with concern. "Is Colleen?"  
  
Murdock nodded. "You know me, Faceman....too many psych drugs in my system to do much damage."  
  
"And Colleen?" Face repeated trying not to think of the worse case scenario.  
  
"It was rocky for awhile....they pumped her stomach but the poison had   
  
already entered her blood stream."   
  
Face swallowed hard.....Colleen had been hurt because of him. "How is she, Murdock?"   
  
"She's gone."  
  
Face's head jerked up as an old fear began to inch its way up Face's spine.   
  
"Gone?" the word came out in a croak. "You said she was fine..."   
  
Murdock finally met his gaze. "She is and will be."  
  
Face stood his hands clenching into fists. He was tired of playing twenty questions....all he wanted....needed was to see Colleen. "Damn it Murdock....I've had a hell of a week....just tell me where she is."   
  
Murdock shook his head sadly. He hated being caught between his two best friends but he had to do what he had to do. "Sorry, Faceman."   
  
Face took a threatening step forward. "Sorry? That's all you have to say to me, Murdock....after everything?"   
  
"Colleen's safe...."Murdock replied quietly. "And in the best medical hands."  
  
******  
  
Frankie's eyes lit up. "Reward money? There's gotta be a way to con the   
  
government out of that and get it for ourselves."   
  
"Frankie." Hannibal said warningly they needed to stay focused if they were going to find Face.   
  
"I'm just sayin' Hannibal....with what Stockwell gives us which isn't much, that reward money could really come in handy. And the government owes us after all....you know for the whole 'everybody thinks we're dead' thing."   
  
Hannibal ignored Frankie for the moment and knelt so he was eye level with the woman. "If you're familiar with the reward money you're obviously familiar with us. You must know that circumstances over the years have made this group of men a family that I'm proud to be a part of. You, my dear, have taken a member of this family and your threat doesn't hold much venom. You can let the whole world know we're alive for all I care.   
  
You will tell us where Templeton Peck is or I will hand you over to B.A. and let him have a little fun rearranging your limbs."   
  
******  
  
Face forced himself to take several steps back. If he didn't he was going to punch the daylights out of one of his oldest friends. That was not the way that Face wanted to end this week.   
  
"One more time, Murdock....where is Colleen?" Face asked as he ran a hand along the back of his neck.   
  
Murdock shook his head. "She's out of the team, Faceman."  
  
Face's eyes narrowed. "By your choice or hers?"  
  
Murdock adverted his gaze.  
  
Face advanced on his friend. "You stashed her somewhere without telling her didn't you? Murdock you had no right!"   
  
Murdock's eyes flared. "No right? You promised to keep her safe, Faceman. The two times that I've left her in your care she's nearly died."   
  
"She means everything to me, Murdock." Face countered fighting to keep control of his anger.   
  
Murdock nodded. "I know but Colleen's the only family I have left even if she isn't blood. I don't want to lose her to this life."   
  
******  
  
The woman laughed and it made the hairs on the back of Frankie's neck stand up. Frankie watched the woman and Hannibal warily. He'd seen only a few bad guys laugh in the face of Hannibal Smith....not many lived to tell the tale.   
  
Frankie glanced over at B.A. to see that the big man was keeping a watchful eye as well.   
  
"You can do what you want to me, Colonel." The woman stated with a smile. "But Templeton and I go way back....it was a once in a life time romance....one that he and I aren't giving up."   
  
Hannibal rocked back on his heels. This woman was crazier than Murdock if she thought she had any kind of future with Face. Face's heart belonged to one woman and that had been clear to everyone the moment Face and Colleen laid eyes on each other.   
  
"If you want to do this the hard way that's your choice." Hannibal stated as he stood and glanced at Baracus. "B.A. she's all yours."   
  
"Anything specific, Hannibal?" B.A. asked with a grin.  
  
Smith shook his head as he moved to stand next to Frankie. "Just the usual."  
  
B.A. nodded and Hannibal turned to Santana. "Frankie, let's find a phone and check in with Murdock."   
  
"Right." Frankie replied as he followed Hannibal out of the room.  
  
********  
  
"You think I want that, Murdock?" Face replied his voice rising. "You think I actually want her to get hurt?!"   
  
"No." Murdock whispered wishing he had another option than to rip Colleen away from the team.  
  
Face threw up his hands in frustration. "Then why keep us apart, Murdock? You know she doesn't want that."   
  
"It was my only choice, Faceman." Murdock replied quietly a shadow passing across his eyes. "Colleen didn't know what was going on....I had them sedate her before I moved her out of the hospital."   
  
Face shook his head angrily. "This isn't over, Murdock. I will find out   
  
where she is."   
  
"I didn't have any choice." Murdock stated again his voice stronger.  
  
"Yes you did." Face replied trying to calm down. "You could've waited....come to Hannibal or me."   
  
"You've been missin' for days, Face." Murdock said as he moved over to the desk. "We didn't know if you were alive or dead or who had you. Colleen'd been poisoned and nearly died....I had to get her out of here."   
  
"I'm grateful that you kept her safe, Murdock." Face replied trying one last time to get through to his friend. "But don't you see that she's been happy the last few months? She enjoys being with the team."   
  
Murdock shook his head. "She had to give up...."  
  
The phone rang interrupting what Murdock was about to say. The pilot turned around and picked up the receiver from the phone on the desk.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Murdock? It's Frankie....Hannibal and I are on the way back to the hotel. We caught the lady who took Face...B.A.'s trying to get info out of her now."   
  
"Face escaped....he's here with me." Murdock replied glancing back at his friend.   
  
"Really? That's great!" Frankie commented excitedly. "I'll let Hannibal know. Has he seen Colleen yet?"   
  
"We'll fill you in when you get here." Murdock replied avoiding Santana's question. When the others got back to the hotel Murdock knew he'd have to leave the team for getting Colleen back to the States. He knew Hannibal would be disappointed in him.   
  
"Okay." Santana said as he ended the conversation.  
  
Murdock turned back to Face. "Frankie and the Colonel are on they're way back."   
  
Templeton nodded then he saw the look on the pilot's face. "Hannibal doesn't know that you hid Colleen does he?"   
  
"No." Murdock replied as he moved toward the window.  
  
Face sighed wearily not having any energy left to argue. "I'm going to grab a shower."   
  
"Fine." Murdock stated shortly not turning away from the window.  
  
******* 


	5. chapter four

Halfway back to the hotel Frankie pulled the rental car over to a payphone and Hannibal told B.A. to bring the cops into it   
  
Once back on the road Frankie glanced over at Hannibal. "Murdock sounded weird on the phone."   
  
Hannibal raised an eyebrow.  
  
Frankie grinned as he continued. "I mean weirder than normal."  
  
"He was probably just distracted."  
  
Frankie shrugged as he absently drummed his fingers on the top of the   
  
steering wheel. "Maybe, but Murdock's been weirder than normal every time the topic of Face and Colleen's relationship comes up."   
  
"He's very protective of her." Hannibal replied as they pulled into the   
  
hotel's parking lot. "He'll come around eventually."  
  
********  
  
It was another hour before the whole team was back together. B.A. had dropped Face's kidnapper off at the local police station and had stayed briefly to answer any necessary questions. The woman's identity would be confirmed through fingerprints.   
  
As soon as Hannibal and Frankie had gotten back to the room Hannibal had sent Frankie out again to get some food for Face. Now the group sat sharing two pizzas. The mood in the room was tense to say the very least. It had taken a lot of coaxing for Hannibal to get Face to stay and eat something instead of going out and searching for Colleen.   
  
Hannibal turned to look at Murdock part of him understanding why he took it upon himself to stash Colleen away from the team. But another part knew fully where Face was coming from. One way or another Hannibal would make sure this family was back together again and that included Colleen.   
  
"So Face you never did tell us how you managed to escape?" Frankie asked through a mouthful of pepperoni pizza.   
  
Face shrugged as he tossed his plate onto the bed not having any appetite despite not having eaten very much over the last few days.   
  
"You know the usual." Face replied not looking at anyone. "Wiggled free of the ropes knocked out the goons with a heavy book, walked out the front door."   
  
"Did you remember who this woman was?" Murdock asked from his position by the window.  
  
Face stood and leaned back against the wall by the bed. He was tempted not to answer the pilot's question but that would be childish and petty.   
  
"It took me a few days." Face replied wearily as he closed his eyes. "Diane Benton. She was a blonde when I knew her back in San Diego. I met her at one of the country clubs during our early days of helping the helpless. I was also partying pretty hard at that time and drinking heavily.... so if I promised her any kind of future I don't remember doing so. We dated barely two months before I broke it off."   
  
Murdock shook his head in amazement. "Two months and you drive a woman   
  
crazy."  
  
"Murdock." Hannibal said warningly but it had no affect on either man.  
  
Face opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the wall. "I didn't make her crazy, Murdock!"   
  
"That seems to be debatable doesn't it?" Murdock shot back.  
  
"Enough!" Hannibal shouted instantly gaining everyone's attention. "We're all tired and ready to go home but there's one thing we have to do before that happens."   
  
"What's that?" B.A. asked as he stood. He was more than ready to move on even if it meant getting back on a plane. This trip to England hadn't been good for the team.   
  
Hannibal stood and sat on the bed across from Murdock. "We're one short, Murdock. We have to pick up Colleen on the way back to Langley."   
  
Murdock shook his head and backed toward the window. "Sorry, Colonel. I can't tell you where she is."   
  
Face's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This is a brick wall, Hannibal. I've already tried this."  
  
Hannibal gestured for him to be quiet.   
  
"Listen fool, tell him where she is because I ain't spendin' the next month on a plane." B.A. growled interrupting whatever reply Hannibal was going to make.   
  
Murdock ignord Baracus and looked at his commanding officer for a long   
  
moment before moving away from the window and picking up his jacket.   
  
"Sorry Colonel this is something I have..."   
  
Face walked around the corner of the bed eyes blazing. "Murdock, you didn't give her a chance to decide! Give Colleen that chance."   
  
"I'll give Stockwell my resignation." Murdock replied stiffly as he retrieved his small green duffel bag from the corner before walking toward the door.   
  
Hannibal stood and walked toward him. "Murdock this isn't the way to solve anything!"   
  
Murdock paused in the doorway but didn't look back as he left the room.  
  
Out of pure frustration Face picked up the alarm clock from the nightstand and slammed it against the wall. The plastic casing splintered before falling to the carpeted floor.   
  
******  
  
Face stared out the window of the team's van as it barreled down the interstate toward Miami. Had it really been a month? A month with no contact from Colleen or Murdock?  
  
Face closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the window. He wanted so badly to hop out at the next turnoff and go look for Colleen on his own. But Stockwell being Stockwell had an iron grip on what was left of the team.   
  
Even with them being two short Stockwell had continued to send them out on missions at a rapid pace. The results had not been to Stockwell's liking but Face couldn't care less. He was angry enough at Stockwell as it was. The good General could've found Murdock and Colleen with one phone call if he wanted too.   
  
Face shook his head and slumped back into his seat. Murdock must really be furious with him to keep Colleen under wraps for this long. He didn't blame Murdock for what he was doing...not really....Murdock was right Face had put Colleen in danger since they had first met. But Face would give everything up....Stockwell, the team, the missions, his freedom...if he could just see Colleen once more. Hold her tight and tell her how sorry he was for everything. The last thing in the world Face had ever wanted to do was cause Colleen pain.   
  
"Face?"  
  
"Face?"  
  
Templeton's eyes shot open and he found himself staring into Hannibal's   
  
concerned gaze. Sheepishly Face wondered how long Hannibal had been trying to get his attention.   
  
"Yeah, Hannibal?" Face replied wearily as he leaned forward.  
  
"We're about an hour outside of Miami." Hannibal stated quietly. "Are you okay to go undercover..."   
  
"We've been through this Hannibal." Face snapped. "I'll do my job."  
  
"I know you will." Smith assured him. "But we've been doing back to back missions ever since we got back from England. These drug smugglers could be a nasty bunch....if you want to take a rest from this one...."   
  
Frankie watched the exchange warily. Ever since Murdock and Colleen had   
  
disappeared Face had been drifting between being angry and being depressed. A lot of the time Face was picking fights which led Frankie to believe he was trying to get kicked off the team. But Frankie knew Hannibal wasn't going to let that happen.   
  
"I can send Frankie." Hannibal offered wishing not for the first time that Murdock would make contact.   
  
Face's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll do it!"  
  
"Okay." Hannibal replied quietly as he twisted around and reached for the road map.   
  
*********  
  
Colleen Brown wondered when her life had gotten this crazy. Even when she tried to take a relaxing vacation things went to hell. At the thought of London Colleen closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She missed Face terribly and hoped that he was okay. Murdock had assured her that he was fine but Colleen needed to see him for herself. Every time she tried to call or make flight reservations Murdock would come up with an excuse to keep them here.   
  
Here was San Francisco, California. Colleen had always wanted to see the bay area but not this way. She and Murdock had been staying in a facility that gave assistance to veterans and their families.   
  
Colleen looked across the small room to see Murdock sitting on the bed   
  
leaning his back against the wall. He was absently bouncing a ball against the ceiling. When she had first awaken in the hospital she'd been furious. What right did Henry have to make decisions about her life....about her life with Face?   
  
Colleen had known the risks when she had first gotten involved with the team.   
  
Colleen shook her head as she stood and walked to the small window. A month?   
  
Had it really been that long? She had tried to get Murdock to talk about the team.... about going back but all she gotten was a wall of silence.   
  
"Looks like the rain's stopped." Colleen commented as she looked back at Murdock. "Maybe we can go for a walk?"   
  
"No." Murdock replied the ball continuing to bounce off the ceiling.  
  
Colleen strode across the room and snatched the ball as she glared at   
  
Murdock. "Are you going to stay in here the rest of your life?!"   
  
"Maybe."  
  
Colleen threw the ball towards the window not caring if it smashed right through the glass. "I'm not! You have no right to keep me here, Henry!"   
  
Murdock met her gaze. "I'm not....you can go any time you want."  
  
"As long as I don't go back to Face." Colleen finished miserably.  
  
"It's for your own...."  
  
Colleen whirled around. "Don't say it's for my own good! I was happy with Face."   
  
Murdock stood. "He....the team put you in danger."  
  
Colleen threw up her hands. "Henry I'm an PI....that's not exactly the safest job in the world."   
  
Murdock placed a hand on her shoulder. The last month had been one of the worst of his life. He was trying to protect so many people....trying to do things for the right reasons and it was all backfiring.   
  
"Bonns....you're the only family I have."  
  
Colleen shook her head tears starting to form. "That's not true, Henry, the team is your family....always has been."   
  
******  
  
"I was just trying to protect..." Murdock replied but his voice trailed off.  
  
"I know." Colleen stated as she touched his arm. "But there are things in life that you can't protect me from."   
  
"You really love him don't you?" Murdock asked even though he already knew the answer.  
  
The tears flowed freely as Colleen nodded. "Yes....I love you like a brother Murdock but Face has my heart...always will."   
  
Murdock studied his friend for a long moment before drawing her into a huge bear hug. "Okay I'll take you back on one condition."   
  
"What's that?" Colleen asked as she pulled away slightly.  
  
"Forgive me." Murdock replied solemnly. "I know you'll always be mad at me for getting you out of London that way but I felt I had no choice."  
  
"I know you did what you thought was right, Henry." Colleen replied quietly the tears starting to slow. "But if things get this sticky again you have to trust that I can make my own decisions, okay?"   
  
Murdock hesitated. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
Colleen grinned. "How can it with you guys watching my back?"  
  
Murdock returned her smile and nodded. "Okay....so we're okay?"  
  
Colleen hugged him fiercely. "Yes...we're okay."  
  
"Good." Murdock whispered before he released her. "Let's blow this pop stand and go home."   
  
"Not a moment too soon." Colleen replied with a laugh as she started to pack up her belongings. "I was just getting used to this lovely shade of chartreuse."   
  
Murdock cringed in mock horror. "Face'll love that color if you redecorate his apartment like that."   
  
Colleen giggled picturing Templeton's expression to the bright colored walls.   
  
"I might do that just to see his expression."   
  
"Let's go home, Bonns." Murdock said a few minutes later after he had packed away his things and stood by the door.   
  
Colleen joined him. "Are we going to call and tell them we're coming?"  
  
Murdock grinned as he slung an arm around her shoulders. "Let's have it be a surprise."   
  
Colleen wanted to protest desperate to hear Face's voice but she didn't want to rock the boat. Murdock wanted to go home....and those were the most beautiful words Colleen had heard in weeks. Soon she'd be back in Face's arms again. And all would be right with the world.   
  
********  
  
When the team returned to Langley two days later they found Murdock and   
  
Colleen sitting in the living room watching an old spy movie.   
  
Frankie did double take and rubbed his eyes. "Is this a mirage or are you guys back for good?"   
  
Murdock grinned as he crossed the room toward the younger man and slapped him on the shoulder. "The great Murdock is back to tell your future, Franko."  
  
B.A. snorted. "Thought I had finally gotten rid of you, fool."  
  
Murdock's smile widened. "B.A! Big guy...come here and give me a hug."  
  
"Not on your life."  
  
"B.A...."  
  
"Don't start with me, Fool."  
  
Face however heard none of his friend's conversation. The instant his eyes had locked with Colleen's everything else had disappeared. He closed the space between them and took her hand in his pulling her gently off the sofa.   
  
Colleen looked as beautiful as the last time he had seen her.   
  
Colleen touched his left cheek tenderly tears flowing. "Henry told me that you were alright but I didn't believe it....not until now...."   
  
"I'm fine." Face assured her huskily as he drew her into an embrace resting his head on her shoulder. "God I missed you."   
  
Colleen closed her eyes inhaling the feeling of being in his arms again. "I missed you too...I love you...."   
  
Face met her gaze for a long intense moment before stepping back and taking her right hand in his and tugging her toward the back of the room. "Let's get out of here."   
  
Colleen nodded and they disappeared out the back doors and onto the small patio.   
  
"Looks like things are back to normal." Frankie commented with a wide smile as he watched Face and Colleen go outside.   
  
Murdock nodded before he turned to Hannibal. "So what'd we miss?"  
  
"The usual." Hannibal replied with a grin. "Come on I'll fill you in."  
  
*******  
  
Face and Colleen sat in the hammock that Frankie had strung between two of the trees when they had first moved in. It was the second week in September and still fairly warm out.   
  
Colleen rested her head against Face's chest and stared up at the early afternoon sky. Not quite believing that things were finally normal again. Well as normal as things got around here.  
  
"I've missed this." Colleen whispered as she closed her eyes.  
  
Face tightened his arms around her. "What?" he asked softly placing a kiss on her forehead.   
  
"Just being in your arms like this. Seems like a lifetime ago that we were here last."   
  
Face shifted them so they were in a semi-seated position. He reached over and cupped her chin with his hands.   
  
"Colleen...."Face began tenderly as he met her gaze. "When I escaped and Murdock told me that you had been hurt..."   
  
Colleen caught his hand with hers. "Doesn't matter now."  
  
Face nodded. "Yes it does....I brought you into this mess that is our life. I was selfish and as a result you got hurt....I can't tell you how sorry I..."   
  
Colleen leaned forward and kissed him softly breaking off his sentence. "I knew the risks." she replied softly as they broke apart.   
  
Face gently lifted her chin with the fingers of his right hand. Suddenly everything was crystal clear to him....he didn't want to lose her ever again and there was one way to make sure that didn't happen.   
  
Face took a deep breath before saying. "Are you willing to take those risks with me for the rest of your life?"   
  
Colleen's eyes widened in surprise. Did he just say what she thought he did?   
  
"Was that a proposal?" Colleen asked in a weak whisper her eyes bright with unshed tears.   
  
Face smiled sheepishly as he got out of the hammock careful not to tip it.   
  
"Not a very good one I know."   
  
"Face...."  
  
Templeton gently reached up and touched a finger to her lips. "Let me try this again...the proper way."   
  
Colleen nodded unable to speak as an intense mixture of love and joy washed over her.   
  
Face got down on one knee and took her left hand in his.   
  
"Colleen....you've stuck by me even when I turned your life upside down. Most people would've cut and run but you didn't and I love you for that.   
  
I know I don't have much to offer with Stockwell hanging over our heads.   
  
We're no closer to getting a pardon than we were a year ago.   
  
But if you can stand this craziness for a while longer I'd be honored if you agreed to become my wife."   
  
Tears streamed freely down Colleen's face as she nodded.  
  
"Yes." Colleen replied in a hitched whisper. "Yes I'll marry you."  
  
"I don't have a ring yet." Face apologized as he stood and pulled her into his arms lifting her off her feet.   
  
"Doesn't matter." Colleen replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
Face grinned as he kissed her.   
  
"So you don't want one then?" Peck asked as they came up for air.  
  
Colleen laughed as she shook her head. "I didn't say that."  
  
"I love you." Face whispered tenderly as he set her down.  
  
"I love you too." Colleen replied tearfully as she captured his lips with hers.   
  
end 


End file.
